2021 SUN Preps All-Area Athletes & Teams
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Page 26 www.yoursun.com Boys Golf First Team Eddie Lainhart (Port Charlotte junior) A 2019 Player of the Year finalist, Lainhart finds himself back in the conversation for area's best boys golfer in 2020. He continued to be one of the team's top players, shooting a third-place 79 at districts, a 78 at regionals and had a (+7) 45th place finish at the 36-hole state championships. "Eddie is a great leader on and off the course," Taylor said. "He's a quiet leader by example that you wish you had a full team of. He was a big part of the team winning its fourth straight county championship, seventh straight district championship and third consecutive state appearance. "He had a great junior year, and we're looking for big things from him next year." David Del Purgatorio (Venice senior) Though he wasn't Venice's most consistent scorer, Del Purgatorio had a knack for coming up big in important moments for the Indians. He shot a 75 to finish in a three-way tie for first place in a competitive district, and then followed that up with an 80 at regionals. "I'd go to him and say, 'David, listen. I need you here,'" Venice golf coach Lamont Andrews said. "David really was outstanding from the perspective of when I needed him to get some pars to help us as a team get to where we need- ed to go, I could really count on him. "David had his moments of brilliance." Tristen Evans (Venice senior) Venice's best scorer throughout the season, Evans was Mr. Reliable for his team. He shot an even-par 72 at the Lakewood Ranch Invitational and shot 79 at both the district and regional tournaments. CJ Kemble (North Port freshman) Kemble didn't waste any time mak- ing his mark on the Bobcats. He was Pirates, Indians lead area in competitive golf season District titles, top finishes and a state tournament appearance highlight this year in prep golf SUN PREPS ALL-AREA BOYS & GIRLS GOLF TEAM By VINNIE PORTELL SPORTS WRITER G olf was one of the least affected sports during this coronavi- rus-shortened season. Local players practiced all throughout the summer as courses remained open, and the hard work paid off. Two Boys Golfer of the Year finalists, Eddie Lainhart and Zach Starkey, led Port Charlotte to the state tournament for the third straight season. The other finalist, David Del Purgatorio, finished in a tie for first place at the district tournament and followed up with an 80 at regionals for Venice. While no girls team made it past regionals, several teams were well represented in the postseason. Girls Golfer of the Year finalist Hailey Lainhart led Lemon Bay to its sixth straight district title and a strong show- ing at regionals. Another finalist, Sara Tirb of Port Charlotte, tied Lainhart for first place at districts with an 82 and then was the top local scorer in region- als with an 88. The third Girls Golfer of the Year finalist, Elizabeth Ireland, was Venice's best and most consistent scorer as she led her team to an eighth place finish at regionals. Rodney Taylor is the Boys Golf Coach of the Year for leading the Pirates to the state tournament despite losing the 2019 Boys Golfer of the Year in Marc Kaneko-Fujii. Cary Willgren is the Girls Golf Coach of the Year after leading Venice to an eighth place finish in a tough region. The Lady Indians were the area's deepest team with four players breaking 100 at regionals. Player of the year Zach Starkey Port (Charlotte senior) It was Starkey's turn to step up as the go-to Pirate this year, and he lived up to the challenge. The senior shot a first- place 74 at districts, a 77 at regionals and a (+13) finish at the 36-hole state championships. "Zach was very consistent in all of his matches this year," Taylor said. "He was automatic. You could always count on him shooting low for the medalist or top two spot. "He is a competitor in everything he does. He's got a great game and has grown so much within the game. He will definitely be missed in our lineup next year." STARKEY SUN FILE PHOTO The Port Charlotte boys golf team was the only area squad to make the state tournament -- with two finalists for the boys golfer of the year in Zach Starkey (middle) and Eddie Lainhart (second from left). SEE GOLF, 27